Despite losing their opening day game every year for the past decade, the Oakland A’s came out of a killer spring training and kicked off their 2015 season last week by crushing the Texas Rangers 8-0.

It’s a sign of good things to come: despite a 2014 season that started strong but crumbled after the All-Star break, new players, a strong defense, and standout pitching will ensure that 2015 stays strong for the long haul.

“That win was a great example of what the A’s are capable of when they put all three of the elements together [like] hitting, defense, pitching,” Matt Lisle, the Oakland A’s out-of-town scoreboard keeper, told the Pioneer. “Because the A’s aren’t as talented as years past, they won’t be able to just get away with just one or two elements like they used to.”

For the majority of fans, opening day is the most anticipated day of the MLB season. But Oakland fans want to see if the Athletics will have an answer for an incredible 2014 season that turned disastrous. (keep going off of premise)

“In 2014, the A’s had several players play “out of their minds” for the first half of the season, in the 2nd half they came back to earth and played at the level they should have,” Lisle said. “The problem was, when the A’s traded Cespedes and the offense falters that badly, it was a double whammy offensively.”

After the All-Star Break, it seemed as if all chemistry had left the team, especially within the offense. Struggling to produce hits and with momentum coming to a complete halt, the Athletics found that easy wins became harder to come by and arduous games became a norm.

The A’s are off to a great start this season, but a few of their best pitchers and hitters left, and the team is rebuilding with some young talent. In order to avoid what happened at the end of the 2014 season again, “They’ll just have to play with more consistency,” Lisle said. “The A’s best shot at making the playoffs is to be in the hunt enough near the all-star break that they might trade for another player. Preferably a hitter.”

Despite what Lisle stated above, the Athletics already have a very solid team. With the current team, strong defense along with consistent hitting is what’s going to keep them on a strong path. Dominant pitching and timely hitting is what has helped them in the past, and this roster has that capability, laying the groundwork for a great season.

The A’s have a few new faces on the roster, bringing some potential talent to the lineup. Ben Zobrist, who plays second base, is bringing very solid defense and a lot of power at the plate. Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler who are both new to the team are bringing outstanding hitting ability, while Ike Davis, the new first baseman is a premiere defender.

With the new players intact, the Athletics should have a solid chance of having a standout 2015 season. Consistency is what will put the A’s on the path to playoffs once again, yet this time without the fallout after All-Star Break.